not: and
another rode off swiftly to the horse-stalls. But the others, leaving
their horses, drew round about him, and for a while none durst utter a
word; and he stood gazing at them, with the spoke-shave in his hand, he
also silent; for he saw that the Hostage was not with them, and he knew
that now he was the yokefellow of sorrow.

At last he spoke gently and in a kind voice, and said: "Tell me, sisters,
what evil hath befallen us, even if it be the death of a dear friend, and
the thing that may not be amended."

Then spoke a fair woman of the Rose, whose name was Brightling, and said:
"Hallblithe, it is not of death that we have to tell, but of sundering,
which may yet be amended. We were on the sand of the sea nigh the Ship-
stead and the Rollers of the Raven, and we were gathering the wrack and
playing together; and we saw a round-ship nigh to shore lying with her
sheet slack, and her sail beating the mast; but we deemed it to be none
other than some bark of the Fish-biters, and thought no harm thereof, but
went on running and playing amidst the little waves that fell on the
sand, and the ripples that curled around our feet. At last there came a
small boat from the side of the round-ship, and rowed in toward shore,
and still we feared not, though we drew a little aback from the surf and
let fall our gown-hems. But the crew of that boat beached her close to
where we stood, and came hastily wading the surf towards us; and we saw
that they were twelve weaponed men, great, and grim, and all clad in
black raiment. Then indeed were we afraid, and we turned about and fled
up the beach; but now it was too late, for the tide was at more than half
ebb and long was the way over the sand to the place where we had left our
horses tied among the tamarisk-bushes. Nevertheless we ran, and had
gotten up to the pebble-beach before they ran in amongst us: and they
caught us, and cast us down on to the hard stones.

"Then they made us sit in a row on a ridge of the pebbles; and we were
sore afraid, yet more for defilement at their hands than for death; for
they were evil-looking men exceeding foul of favour. Then said one of
them: 'Which of all you maidens is the Hostage of the House of the Rose?'

"Then all we kept silence, for we would not betray her. But the evil man
spake again: 'Choose ye then whether we shall take one, or all of you
across the waters in our black ship.' Yet still we others spake not,
till arose thy